Good for you

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Who says investigative journalism is dead?

Chicago Tribune published an investigation in April that uncovered how the city of Crestwood, IL knowingly drew from a contaminated well for the city’s water supply for years.

The story sparked an EPA investigation and calls for health studies on the use of well water.

Just another reason we should be paying attention to where we get our water.

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‘Tis the season for green beans!  Or so says the June issue of Bon Appetit.  Alma Albert of Bon Appetit writes that green or string beans (they are one in the same) are a good source of vitamins A, C, and K along with potassium and iron.

Albert has these tips for how to buy green beans at the market:

• go for beans that have “full, even color”
• “beans should snap when broken in half; the insides should be crisp and juicy”
• avoid bulging beans which usually mean pods are too mature to be crisp and tender

Another interesting tidbit: green beans come in all colors (green, yellow, purple) but for the most part they all taste the same.  So mix it up!

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Melting ice caps, slumping economy, H1N1 … the world is a scary place these days but not every tight spot comes with a doomsday.

Case in point: water in Illinois.

Josh Ellis is a Community Development Associate at the Metropolitan Planning Council who specializes in - you guessed it - H2O.

Josh talked to us about the need for state-wide water supply plan and a water metering system in Chicago.

State-wide water supply plan:

Chicago water meters:

The Internet is buzzing with news that Amazon is likely to announce the release of a new, large-format Kindle at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.

According to Peter Kaftka’s Media Memo, the new toy from Amazon would lend itself more to magazine and newspaper reading than the original 6 inch Kindle, which goes for $359.

No news yet on how much the new gadget will cost or what the demand for them may be.

But if competition is any indication, it looks like the e-readers are catching on.

According to Kaftka, Plastic Logic has also been working on its own 8.5 by 11 inch screen, which is scheduled to hit the market in 2010.

The big question is, what does a new newspaper and magazine e-reader mean for newspapers and magazines?

The answer?  Take your pick.

A)    Absolutely nothing. MG Siegler of Tech Crunch refers to the new readers as an incomplete Hail Mary pass to the newspaper industry.

B)    A lifeboat. The NYTimes quotes John Ridding of the Financial Times as saying he is awaiting the device’s release “with a great deal of interest.”

“The severe double whammy of the recession and the structural shift to the Internet has created an urgency that has rightly focused attention on these devices.”

C) It probably means more for the survivors. Kaftka takes the view that it’s too late for the new e-reader to change the tide for print media, but it may very well help boost those media companies that do make it through the current crisis.

“It doesn’t matter how you deliver the information, if you can’t afford to generate it in the first place. And the industry’s more sober executives understand that.

But if Kindle-like devices really do take off, they will be a natural platform for whatever version of the publishing industry survives.”

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It only took hearing two different NPR reviews (here and here) of the X-Men Origins Wolverine movie for me to realize the summer blockbuster season is upon us.  And while I am looking forward to spending hot summer evenings in and out of movie theaters, I’m definitely not looking forward to paying for it.

For those out there aching for Hollywood action on a tight budget, I recommend a trip to Logan Theater on at 2646 N. Milwuakee Ave.  They may not play new releases (only movies that have been out for a couple months) but tickets only cost you about $4 and reviewers love their chocolate covered frozen bananas.

Here’s a map to cheaper movie fun:

View Logan Theater in a larger map

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Check out Julie Deadorff’s “5 alternative uses for lemons” that don’t include making lemonade.

My favorite is lemon as hangover cure. And since you asked, the New Yorker published a piece last year about how different cultures and regions tackle the hangover. It’s quite the anthropological study.

Next time you’re anywhere near the Damen stop on the Blue Line, take a minute to pop in on the Weirder Park General Store at 1539 N. Damen Ave, a novelty shop that sells handmade trinkets from their third story window.  The Web site describes the store as “Chicago’s one-stop shop for all your novelty needs!”

But how, you might ask, does one novelty shop out of a window?  Don’t fret, their site provides detailed instructions.

Our revolutionary ‘walk-up window service’ lets you make all your purchases from the streets below. Simply ring the bell, and we’ll pop our heads out of our window and help you pick out the merchandise that best suits your needs. When you are ready to go on your way, we’ll lower your purchases via a basket. Simply place your hard-earned money back into the basket, which comes back to us to ensure that we can continually add new products and services.

As of Tuesday night , Weirder Park expanded into a concert venue and co-founder Celia Rose Marks says she hopes to eventually grow into an art space as well.

“This is our first venture into what this space could potentially be,” Marks said.

Tuesday night’s performers included out-of-towners Liz Isenberg and Omnivore (or Glenna Vannostrand).  See pictures and hear their music after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

WBEZ Blog says the AP is reporting that a school in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood has forbidden students from shaking hands in reaction to the recent swine flu outbreak.

Still, no cases of swine flu have been reported yet in Chicago.  But it sounds like the flue strain has made it to northern Indiana.

Here’s where we stand as of Tuesday morning, complements of the New York Times:

New York- 28 confirmed cases, 17 suspected cases
California- 13 confirmed cases, 2 suspected cases
Texas- 6 confirmed cases
Kansas- 2 confirmed cases
Michigan- 1 suspected case
Ohio- 1 confirmed case
New Jersey- 5 suspected cases

and now

Indiana- 1 confirmed case